Thursday, May 15, 2008

My boyfriend jokingly commented that I've been eating like a five year old lately. So what if I have been making Kraft mac and cheese, ordering pizza and having peanut butter sandwiches? I am an adult and I can do what I want...Ginny whines, stomping her foot.

Yes, I know, I just wrote a post about trying to be more healthy but then I hit a few stressful days and found myself reaching for some quick comfort food. I had no inspiration to cook so I relied on some old favorites.

Before this short diet derailment, I had challenged myself by trying to make dinner without the use of olive oil or butter...yes, maybe, I should get a life but culinary games are so much fun. Recently, I made Allen of Eating Out Loud's Citrus Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables served with seared scallops and some roasted salmon. It was absolutely fabulous! I highly recommend making it! This left me with some leftover red onion and asparagus. I decided to caramelize them with some balsamic and put it over my latest favorite find, Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend with Israeli Style Couscous, Orzo, Baby Garbanzo Beans, and Red Quinoa. I am sending this over to Ruth's Presto Pasta Night. Check it out for more great pasta ideas!

And please do not stop reading my blog because I eat Kraft mac and cheese occasionally. With the Spiderman shapes, how can you resist? We all have our secret anti-foodie pleasure. Actually, what is yours?Balsamic Asparagus and Red Onion Pasta1/2 bunch Asparagus (chopped into small 1 in pieces)1/2 red onion, chopped1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar1/2 pound of pasta

1. Spray frying pan with Pam and throw in the crushed red pepper.2. Saute asparagus and red onion in the frying pan.3. Mix in balsamic vinegar and cover with a lid to steam the vegetables. When they are tender and carmalized, remove from heat and mix with pasta.

P.S. I sprinkled some shredded mozzarella over it because I wanted something a little gooey. I wish I had some goat cheese instead as it would have added a good flavor to it. Michelle over at Tarheel Table just made a Pasta with grilled chicken and vegetables with a goat cheese sauce that would be great with something like this.

22 comments:

My son would flip if he knew that somewhere, someone was eating Kraft Mac&Cheese with Spiderman shapes! Yes, we eat that stuff too, I mean come on, I cannot have my kids growing up without having Mac&Cheese from a box once in a while! :)

I wish I could find that Harvest Grains Blend, your recipe sounds delicious!

Hahaha! Sorry, Ginny, I totally still see you as that little girl in the picture. So I'm not too surprised that you eat like a 5-year old. (Actually, you're probably older than 5 in the pic. 9 years old?)

I'm sure Allen will be very glad to know you enjoyed his recipe! Very inventive, how you improvised too :)

LMAO, I think we all eat mac and cheese and pb&j once in a while. Right? I highly doubt it's just you and me. ;) My comfy 5 year old food? Packets of chicken noodle soup, with an egg dropped in, or a packet of cream of tomato served with a grilled cheese. LOL

Well I might as well confess: I love potato chips and fondue cheese...a lot!!!Your pasta recipe sure sounds good for my breakfast today. Yeap that's another guilty pleasure: I would eat for breakfast almost anything that is usually served for dinner :)

Aren't we all trying to cook healthier? Some times we can, sometime we get tempted. This is a great opportunity to share some healthy recipes as Ben and I are hosting a Food Event on "eating healthy stuff" so would be glad to see you participating as well as your readers.

heehee. Yeah, we went on a blogger hiatus because that's all we could muster too! I think last week was a combination of ramen, take-out, leftovers, eggs and breakfast sausage links, and bread-and-cheese. Pathetic! I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel, and we're starting to pull through the food funk. What brought yours on, or was it just the need for brainless comfort food?

A Definition

[Gin-knee] n. a food lover and cook, often found making a mess in the kitchen and covered in flour, enjoys feeding her friends and family, tries her hand at writing about and photographing her culinary adventures